Model-maker spends 14 years recreating Salisbury Cathedral using matchsticks - but is only half done

Published: 12:05 EST, 9 November 2026 | Updated: 12:16 EST, 9 November 2026 A model-maker has spent 14 years recreating Salisbury Cathedral out of matchsticks in a bid to secure a world record – yet he is not even halfway through the process.Barry King started his model in February 2013 and at the time, he hoped that it would take him 15 years to beat the current Guinness World Record for the largest matchstick model. However, he admitted that space, time and cost have stood in his way over the years.The 56-year-old has used 1,780,000 matches and 150 litres of glue so far, having spent about 6,000 hours working on the project.He is hoping to use more than five million matches to create the 806-year-old building, which he estimates will be 21ft long, 16ft wide and at least 7.5ft tall when it's completed. The real life cathedral is 442ft long and has a 404ft tall spire, the tallest in England.'I've been doing it for 14 years now, but it seems like that has flown by. I'm probably looking at least another 12 years, but I've started it so I have got to finish it. I just plod on,' Mr King said.Mr King still has a long way to go to beat the current record holder David Reynolds from Southampton, Hampshire.Mr Reynolds has held the record since 2009 after spending 15 years creating a replica of the Brent Bravo oil rig using four million matches. Barry King started his creation in February 2013 and at the time, he hoped that it would take him 15 years to beat the current Guinness World Record for the largest matchstick model The 56-year-old has used 1,780,000 matches and 150 litres of glue so far, having spent about 6,000 hours working on the projectTo keep track of how many matches he has used, Mr King records it all in a notebook so he can report his progress back to Guinness World Records.'I spend about seven to eight hours every Sunday working on it, but I can only get so much done in a day, and if I get back early enough on work nights I will spend an hour on it. All my holidays next year will be spent working on it,' Mr King said. The model-maker still works full-time, building office pods in government buildings, schools and hospitals, meaning he struggles to find the time to work on his passion project. Mr King is hopeful that he can hit the two million match mark by next year, but he is 220,000 away from his goal. He added that he normally uses between 10,000 and 20,000 matches a month.The Salisbury Cathedral model is also taking over Mr King's two-bedroom mid-terrace house in Amesbury, Wiltshire.Mr King said: 'I'm also running out of room in my house. My living room is a mess, it takes up half the bedroom. I've got four boxes of completed bits.'Once I do the tower and spire it will be too tall to fit so eventually I am going to need somewhere bigger to put it.' Before starting the project, Mr King had never built a matchstick model before. He uses tweezers and a craft knife to whittle the matchsticks into shape before gluing pieces together Since he started working on the project, the cost of matchsticks has more than doubled and the cost of glue has also increasedHe uses tweezers and a craft knife to whittle the matchsticks into shape before gluing pieces together. Since he started working on the project, the cost of matchsticks has more than doubled and the cost of glue has also increased.Mr King still has to make another 20 statues to complete Salisbury's west front, with each taking around two hours to carve, as he works on the north and south transepts and begins constructing the tower pillars ahead of tackling the famous spire.'I still enjoy doing it, but it would be nice not to have it in my house,' he said.